Laleli looked at Lapis in shock. The apprentice ranger's words echoed in the manor's decrepit sitting room. Lapis, the ranger-in-training who hated superstition and barely seemed to even want to be here, had just volunteered herself to be first under 'the veil'. "... are you, um, sure, Lapis?"
Lapis nodded, though Laleli knew people well enough to detect the signs of nerves lurking at the corners of her eyes. No, she definitely wasn't. "It's the only way to start this off right," she said, her voice ringing clear with stalwart stoicism. "If Minni leads this off, it's just going to turn into some shade of foreplay between her and Olivine, and then I'll just have to leave the room. We're here to welcome our friend Laleli back. That's it. No fooling around tonight."
Olivine rolled her eyes with a smirk. The butch girl already had an arm draped around the shoulders of a very flustered-looking Minni, slowly running her fingers through Minni's pretty red hair. "No promises."
Lapis's cheeks reddened, and she glared. "I--you--"
"Easy, Olivine," Button said. The spindly girl was fidgeting in her lap, eyes cast downwards, her long legs carefully crossed to keep her short skirt from showing anything off. "If, um, if Lapis says no fooling around, that means n-no fooling around."
"Oh?" Olivine batted her eyelashes. "Well, I'm not hearing a safeword, Bluebutton. And Lapis and I had lots of fun deciding on a safeword last summer,
sooo
..."
Button bit her lip. "Come on, Olivine. P-Play nice."
Olivine hesitated, then shrugged, raising her hands as if showing she held no weapons. "Fine, fine." She laughed. "I'll be merciful."
Button gave a small nod. She looked even redder than Lapis.
Laleli grinned. Sweet, brave little Button.
She gave her honeysuckle-scented candle a deep sniff. This was such a thoughtful gift to come home to. She'd really missed the girls, and Button especially. Button was always getting her little presents like this, keeping her company on walks. She was always the first to meet her when she came home for visits. She had a way of making Laleli feel special.
Obviously, she'd no doubt do the same for any one of them, not just Laleli. There was nothing special about Laleli. Button was just a good, sweet friend with beautiful brown eyes and pouty, kissable lips. Who had a crush on Lapis.
It was obvious, really. Button was wearing a coat Lapis had made her. They'd been awfully cozy at the window just now. Button stood up to Olivine to defend Lapis. It was adorable. The way Button looked to Lapis, it almost made Laleli jealous.
But it didn't, obviously. It would be silly to get all envious of a friend's attention. Laleli was just eager to help Button act on her feelings, because Lapis would never notice otherwise. Some people were just too thickheaded for romance.
"Now, then," Olivine said sweetly, "Laleli, would you do the honors?"
"Huh?" Laleli snapped back to attention. "Yeah, sure." She picked up the veil. She was surprised at how warm it was. The headset was smooth and glinted like glass or metal, but it seemed the chilly evening air had barely touched it. The dark visor glinted ominously in the candlelight. "Here you go, Lapis."
Lapis felt extremely tense as Laleli strapped the veil into place. Laleli patted her on the shoulder. "Okay, so... do you know how this works?"
"More or less."
"Veils have some sort of lingering illusion magic in them." She tapped the visor gently. "When you expose them to bright lights and sounds, sometimes they make
seemingly
random images appear inside." She brought her candle a few inches from her lips, casting her face in a flickering light, and breathed in that honeysuckle scent. She made her voice hushed and mysterious. "But in a place of spiritual resonance, the ghosts and wyrds sense it as a beacon, and they can use that faint connection to reach out. Or
so they say.
"
"Yeah, so we're gonna use you to ask the manor ghosts some questions!" Minni giggled, reaching over to light her candle with Laleli's. "Candles, everybody!"
Button and Olivine hastened to light their candles, and the air filled with sweet complementary scents. Laleli wondered how long it had taken Button to work out five compatible scents.
Lapis had gone quiet. She sat there with her legs crossed, surrounded by her four closest friends, and appeared to wait.
"I'll ask first." Laleli smiled and reached toward Lapis with the candle. Slowly and deliberately, she drew a simple five-pointed star before the visor. She heard Lapis give a soft gasp, and a small smile danced across her lips. This was a good-quality veil if it was already producing flickers. "O, spirits of the flat and empty," she intoned grandly, "faeries of the Second World, ghosts of the lost and lingering, I beseech you for your wisdom."
"Um." Lapis's voice was suddenly quite soft. "Um."
Laleli could just barely spot lights glimmering on the other side of the dark visor. She grinned. This one seemed to be
very
sensitive, which was perfect for them. She rubbed her chin. What to ask?...
"Spirits," she declared, "what was the name of the woman who lived here?" Best to start simple.
Lapis was silent a moment. Then she gave a start, lips parting as if in surprise. Her voice was a tiny, fragile whisper. "L-Lady Winter-Rose Everwish?"
Laleli was briefly startled out of the game. "Wait, Lapis, are you... playing along?" She laughed in delight.
"I." Lapis shifted. "N-No. No, I..."
"Honestly," she whispered, leaning in conspiratorially, "I half-expected you to deadpan this whole game until we gave up and picked something else to play." She put a hand on Lapis's shoulder. "Good for you! Hey, if you really wanna sell it, try doing a wild voice or something."
"I--I'm--I can't." Lapis's voice was soft.
"No worries." Laleli patted Lapis's shoulder. "You're doing
great
."
"I'm--"
"My turn!" Minni scooted forward, eyes alight with excitement.
"Remember," Laleli said--more for Olivine's and Button's benefits, as she'd played this game with Minni before, "her headset muffles her hearing a lot, so make sure to speak up."
"Right, right." Minni wove her candle in a delicate figure-eight in front of Lapis's visor. Laleli could barely see lights twinkling and sparkled in response. "Spirits, O, spirits, O, like, whatever she said, why do you still haunt this land if you're dead? Why not, like, pass on, you know?"
"W-Wait," Lapis gasped.
Minni blinked. "Sure. Take your time." She bounced from side to side idly. "Ooh, I can ask a different question, if you want! Like, was Winter-Rose super old?"
"N-No..."
"Can Winter-Rose appear, like, in person?"
"C-Can't..."
"Was she super--"
"S-Stop," Lapis cried, "stop, I--t-too much, I--I... I, um..." She trailed off.
"Minni," Olivine scolded, "one question at a time."
"Ooh, okay!" Minni beamed. "No rush, Lapis! Just my first question, then." ][beamed
Lapis sat there for a moment. She shifted in place, putting her hands down on the floor between her legs.
Laleli was sure it was just her imagination, but Lapis's cheeks seemed a little red.
"Yes," Lapis whispered at last. "She..." She took a deep, shuddering breath. "She... has matters unfinished..."
Minni pouted. "That's not an answer! C'mon, is that all you see?"
There was another long silence.
"I..." Lapis squirmed, biting her lip. She started to bring a hand to her face, as if to adjust the visor, then stopped.
Minni blinked. "Hey, Lapis, I asked--"
"Now, now," Olivine said with a sly smile, "you know the rules. No follow-up questions." She licked her lips, nakedly ogling the figure of the veiled Lapis, and scooted a little closer to lay a hand on Lapis's shoulder. "And no follow-up questions, Minni. It's my turn~"
"O-Oh..." Lapis bit her lip. "I... I..." The candle drifted before the veil. Its flame flickered, reflecting its bright glow off the dark, glassy material.
"Is this a friendly spirit?" Olivine laughed. "Is she going to shower us with riches?"
"Um..." Lapis's hands were in her lap, anxiously fidgeting. Laleli frowned. Lapis's cheeks were definitely red--was she this unused to much attention? But she was still playing along, so... "Yes... so... good...
good
...
oh...
"
"You doing okay there, Lapis?" Minni giggled. "Should we, like, end the
ritual
early?"
The longest silence of all stretched before them.
"Lapis?" Laleli prompted. She reached to take off the veil. "Hey, you seem kinda--"
